May 4, 2023

Bullying Tragedy at Lawrenceville School -

Talk About It!

The NY Times reported on April 30th that Lawrenceville School, a private day/boarding school in New Jersey, had reached a settlement agreement with the parents of 17 y.o. Jack Reid, who had committed suicide the prior year due to bullying.

The school admitted fault for falling 'tragically short' in its obligation to protect Jack Reid. Wow...the school's admission of fault in this case is a very big deal and one all boards should be taking notice of.

This past year ISCA has provided opportunities to raise your attention to the issue of student mental health and wellness including at our Fall Governance Conference and March webinar with Dr. Cathy Cosgrove. As Board Chairs, it is incumbent upon you to make sure your board is in conversation with your HOS about your responsibilities to protect students.

Use this tragic story as a case study and discuss what actions, school policies and programs might have prevented this. Schools cannot prevent all tragedies from occurring but they have a 'duty of care' to protect the safety and wellbeing of their school community.

"Public schools in most states are governed by laws that regulate the investigation and response to behavior considered bullying and require instruction aimed at limiting its spread.

But private, parochial and boarding schools have far more autonomy in deciding how to address bullying."

As Board Chairs, have the courage to lead on and lean in to this complicated and important issue.

Read NY Times Article

Upcoming ISCA Events

Thursday, May 11

1 - 2 pm ET

The Future of Measuring Mission: How Boards Can Use Insight Oriented Data to Steward Their Schools

Tuesday, May 16

2 - 3 pm ET

Laying the Groundwork for Success in Contract Negotiation with your HOS